Automatic regulator for water-heaters.



E. P. NOLE.

AUTOMATIC REGULATOR FOR WATER HBATERS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. *11, 1909.

SHOT/Heij Patented Mar. 29, 1910.

Q/OLMLe/weo EDWARD P. NOLE, OF NORTH BELLE VERNON, PENNSYLVANIA.

AUTOMATIC REGULATOR FOR WATER-HEATERS.

To all whom fit may concern:

citizen of the United States, residing at `North Belle Vernon,in the county of festmoreland and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Automatic Regulator for Tater-Heaters, of which the following is .a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in automatic regulators for water heaters.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction of automatic regulators for water heaters, and to` provide a simple, inexpensive and eiiieient device of this character for controlling the flow of gas to a heater, and capable of ready adjustment to-vary the flow of gas and of automatically controlling and reducing the same as the temperature of the water rises within the tank or reservoir.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the construction and novel combination of'parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying dra-wing, and pointed out inthe claims hereto appended; it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size and j minor details of construction, within the scope of the claims, may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrilicingany of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawing Figure 1 is an elevation of an automatic regulator, constructed in accordance with thisinvention and shown applied to a tank and a heater. an enlarged vertical sectional view, illustrating the construction of the automatic regulator. Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view, taken substantially on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1: and illustrating the construction of the outer caslng- Like numerals of reference designate cori responding parts in all the figures of the drawlng.

1 designates a water heater of any preferred construction, arranged adjacent to the lower portion of a tank or reservoir 2 and connected with the same by upper and lower pipe connections '3 and 4, the water from the tank entering the heater at the bottom and iowing from the top of the latter back, into "the tank or reservoir in the usual manner.

The se parts are of the ordinary construction and may be varied to suit the requirements of the particular tank or reservoir, as will be readily understood.

Fig. 2 is Specification of Letters Patent. Patented M31'. 29, 1910,

Application led September 11, 1909.

serial No. 517,213.

The gas is fed to the heater through aI supply pipe 5, having a horizontal portion 6, located slightly above the plane of the top ofthe tank or reservoir and provided with a valve casing 7, having an interior valve seat 8. The valvecasing 7 is of the ordinary construction, and the ow of gas through the same is controlled by a valve 9, located beneath the valve seat and provided with an elongated stem 10, extending downward from the valve casing and located within a vertical pipe 11, which latter forms a tubular casing for the valve stem and'for an eX- pansible member 12. The vertical pipe 11 is composed of upper, lower and intermediate sections 13, 111 and 15, having adjacent ends threaded and connected by upper and lower couplings 16 and 17. The number of sections otjthe vertical pipe 11 may of course be varied," and the upper section 13 has a threaded upper end 18 to screw into the valvel casing, and is provided with a flange 19 abutting against the casing and providing a tight joint, as clearly shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing. The bottom section 14 of the vertical pipe is provided with interior screw threads 20 and receives an adjusting screw 21, engaging the screw threads and supporting the expansible member 12 and the valve. The lower cnd of the vertical pipe 11 is also equipped with a stuing box 22, which prevents any leakage of gas through the regulator. ff

The expansib'le member, which rests upon the adjusting screw, is tubular, its lower end 23 being closed by an integral end wall and its upper end being provided with interior screw threads 24 forl engaging a `screw 25, having its upper portion arranged in L threaded socket 26 of the lower end ofthe valve stem 10. lThe screw 25 adjustablyV connects -the expansible member with the valve stem and provides an adjustment 1n addition to that afforded by the lower operating and adjusting screw 21.J The lower operating screw 21 is provided with a hand t wheel 27, or lother suitable means for enabling the screw to be turned and when the screw '21 is adjusted, the expansible member and the valve are raised and' lowered to vary the flow of .gas through the supply p 1@Thektubular casing or pipe 11 is arranged within an outer caslng 28, substantially V- shaped `in cross section and constructed of sheet metal, or other vsuitable material and secured to the exterior of the tank or reservoir 2. The outer casing, which is vertical, extends to within a short distance of the top and bottom of the tank or reservoir, and it is adapted to cover the regulator and keep the same as near the tank as possible. may be made in one piece, it is preferably composed of two sections, having their ad- Fig. l of the drawing. rI`his will enable the sections to be adjusted to vary the length of the outer casing 28. The valve and the casing are secured to the tank by ,valve of stout wire or other l bands 30, constructed suitable material and preferably arranged at the ends and central portions of the tank. Any number of bands, however, may be employed for this purpose, and other means position.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desiie to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. In a device of the class described, the combination with a tank, and a heater connected` with the tank and arranged at the lower portion thereof, of a gas supply pipe provided at the upper portion of theheater with a valve seat, a tubular casing connected with and supported by and fitted against and extending along the exterior of the tank, a valve coperating with the valve seat and having a depending l upper portion of l stem extending into the the tubular casing, an expansible member connected with the lower end of the valve against the exterior of stem and located beneath thesame and arim, dono the Same i c z: r ranged within the tubular casing, and an operating through the' adjusting screw lower end of the tubular casing and supporting the expansible member.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination withy a tank, and a heater connected with the tank, of a gas supply pipe connected with the heater and having al valve located at the upper portion of the tank, a vertical tubular casing connected with thesupply pipe and fitted against the exterior ofthe tank and extending along the same from the upper to the lower portion thereof, a valve coperating withthe valve seat, an expansible member located within the tubular casing and connected with the valve, an adjusting screw operating through the bei', and an outer casing secured to the exterior of the y casing.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination with a supply pipe having a also located within arranged below temperature of the l While the outer casing 2S 5 ,having a lower end Ithreaded at its upper -screw extending into the the supply pipe lower end of the tubular i tubular Casmg'and fitted and the tinl* and bands encirclini the tank casing and supporting the expansible inein- D tank and covering the tubular with the valve `seat and having an elongated stein extending into the upper portion of the tubular casing, an expansible member the tubular casing and the stein, means for adjustconnecting the adjacent ends of the stem and the expansible member, and

ably valve j an adjusting screw extending through the lower jacent ends 29 overlapped, as illustrated 1n 1 end of the tubular casing and receiving the lower end of the expansible member and supporting the same.

In a device of the class described, the combination with a supply pipe having a seat, of a tube connected at its upper end with the supply pipe and ext-ending downwardly therefrom, a valve coperating with the valve seat and having an elongated stem depending into the upper portion of the tube and provided in its lower end with may be used for supporting the parts in I a threaded socket, a tubular expansible member located within the said tube and wall and interiorly end, a connecting socket of the valve stem and into the threaded upper end of the expansible member, and an adjusting screw operating through the lower end of the tube and engaging the lower end wall of the expansible member and supporting the latter.

5. In a device of the class described, the

j combination with a tank, and a heater connected with the tank, of a gas supply pipe having a valve seat located at the upper portion of the tank, a tubular casing con,- nected with the supply pipe and. fitted the tank and extenda valve coperating with the valve seat, an expansible member arranged within the tubular casing and connected with the valve, and an approximately V-shaped casing arranged over the tubular casing and fitted against the same and the tank and secured to the latter.

6. In a device of the class described, the

combination with a tank, and a heater con-Y nected with the tank, g having a valve seat, a tubular casing conof a gas supply pipe nected with the supply pipe and arranged contiguous to the tank, a valve coperat-ing with the valve seat, an expansible member arranged within the tubular casing and connected with the valve, an outer approximately V-shaped casing arranged over the against the same securing they same valve seat, of a tubular casing connected at I nected with the supply pipe and arranged its upper end with t-he supply ported by the same,

a valve coperating l with the valve seat,

to the tank, a valve coperating an expansible member airanged Within the tubular'casing and con- In testimony, that I claim the foregoing i 'neeted With the valve, an outer approxias m own, l have hereto aixed my signamately V-shaped casing receiving the tubu ture 1n the presenceoftwo Witnesses.

lar casing and fitted against the same and EDWARD P. NOLE. the tank and composed of adjustable over- Witnesses: .Y I y lapped sections, and meansforfsecuring tie JQR. ATTLEBERGER,

i sections to the tank. g W'M. L.l MELER. 

